Leica D-LUX 5 vs Olympus SZ-16 iHS

In this article, we will be matching up the Leica D-LUX 5 vs Olympus SZ-16 iHS, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Leica and Olympus. There exists a huge gap among the resolutions of the D-LUX 5 (10MP) and SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and the D-LUX 5 (1/1.63") and SZ-16 iHS (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The D-LUX 5 was announced 3 years before the SZ-16 iHS which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go through a in depth comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the D-LUX 5 matches up versus the SZ-16 iHS with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Leica D-LUX 5 and Olympus SZ-16 iHS. The whole galleries are viewable at Leica D-LUX 5 Gallery and Olympus SZ-16 iHS Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to travel with your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and volume. The Leica D-LUX 5 provides outer measurements of 110mm x 66mm x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-16 iHS has sizing of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

See the Leica D-LUX 5 vs Olympus SZ-16 iHS in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the D-LUX 5 versus the SZ-16 iHS.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the D-LUX 5 and SZ-16 iHS is 88 and 89 respectively.

Typically, it is very tough to see the gap in sensor dimensions just by viewing specs. The pic here will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the D-LUX 5 and SZ-16 iHS.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The D-LUX 5 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus SZ-16 iHS will result in extra detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs a little more aggressively. The more aged D-LUX 5 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.